Maryland Begins 2014 Season with Big Ten Media Days

Maryland Athletics

7-28-2014

CHICAGO, Ill. – With the start of preseason camp a week away, head coach Randy Edsall and Maryland seniors C.J. Brown and Jeremiah Johnson, and junior Stefon Diggs took part in the unofficial kickoff to the 2014 season with the 43rd edition of the Big Ten Football Media Days Monday at the Hilton Chicago.

Edsall and the student-athletes met with the media and Big Ten Conference television partners for the first time to discuss the upcoming season on day one of the two-day event. The annual event features all 14 head coaches and three student-athletes for each institution.

“We're very thrilled to be a part of the Big Ten Conference and everything that it represents and stands for,” said Edsall. “We know we have a tremendous challenge that's ahead of us this year as we enter the Big Ten, but one that we're really looking forward to.”

One of the challenges Maryland will face this season is preparing for a new set of opponents, a challenge Edsall and the coaching staff have embraced.

“The biggest focus I think that we've had to have for us making this move is really just finding out who the other teams are and studying what they do,” said Edsall. “But also what we have to do is make sure that we continue to do what we do and continue to make sure that we get better.”

Big Ten Media Days continue Tuesday with the annual Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon. Fans in attendance will take part in an autograph session with all 14 head coaches and one former player from each school, while current players will take part in brief, live interviews highlighted by questions from fans on-site and through social media channels. The luncheon itself begins at 12:30 p.m. ET.

For over four decades, the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon has featured some of the biggest names in college football. Legendary players like Desmond Howard, Eddie George, Ron Dayne and Drew Brees, as well as storied coaches like Bo Schembechler, Woody Hayes, Duffy Daugherty and Hayden Fry, have all attended this historic event. In all, more than 850 of the conference’s finest players, over 60 head coaches and nearly 50,000 supporters have made the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon a yearly stop in their preseason college football schedules.